ACM Java Task Force

Version 2.0

(September 20, 2008)

This page provides several entry points into the documentation
and materials prepared by the ACM Java Task Force, which was convened
in 2004 with the following charter:

To review the Java language, APIs, and tools from the perspective of
introductory computing education and to develop a stable collection of
pedagogical resources that will make it easier to teach Java to
first-year computing students without having those students overwhelmed
by its complexity.

Getting Started

There are several ways to get started with the JTF packages.
For most new users, the best place to start is with the
JTF Tutorial, which is designed
to teach potential adopters how to use the packages.
If you want to see what is possible with the JTF resources, you
can check out the JTF Demo Gallery.
For a one-page synopsis of the project and its accomplishments,
please see the executive summary.

Software License

The ACM Java Task Force seeks to impose few restrictions on the use of
its library packages so that users have as much freedom as possible to
use this software in constructive ways and can make the benefits of that
work available to others.
In view of the legal complexities of software development, however, it
is essential for the ACM to maintain copyright over the JTF software as
insurance against the following eventualities:

Someone claims ownership of the JTF software and seeks to restrict
the ACMs and other users access to the material.

Someone seeks to promote a derivative work as the
official version of the JTF software without the permission
of the ACM.

Someone takes legal action against the ACM for damages arising from
the use of the software.

Each of these situations represents a clear violation of the principles
of free software, and the ACM has therefore developed a legal agreement
to guard against such problems. The full text of the license agreement
is available here.

Members of the Java Task Force

Eric Roberts (chair)

Stanford University

Kim Bruce

Pomona College

Robb Cutler

The Harker School

James Cross

Auburn University

Scott Grissom

Grand Valley State University

Karl Klee

Alfred State College

Susan Rodger

Duke University

Fran Trees

Drew University

Ian Utting

University of Kent

Frank Yellin

Google, Inc.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the ACM Education Board, the
SIGCSE Special Projects Fund, and the National Science Foundation
(grant DUE-0411905).